Avis du vol entre Buenos Aires et Madrid en classe Economique avec Air Europa

Hello and welcome aboard this report, the first leg of our return to Europe after a truly incredible stay in Argentina.

Introduction

It was in the autumn of 2024 that a trip already postponed several times was finally able to be organized. My father has crossed the milestone of turning 70 the previous summer, and it was more than time for him to enjoy his gift: a trip to Patagonia! There would therefore be four of us on this journey: my two parents, my girlfriend and I.

The first small challenge in planning the trip and the routing was that we were not departing from the same city. My parents were leaving from Grenoble near the Alps, while my partner and I were departing from Toulouse South-west of France.

Several options were available to reach Buenos Aires. Air France offered flights with convenient schedules, but fares of €1,400 without checked baggage were rather discouraging when departing from regional airports. Iberia proposed an interesting alternative, but the return schedules to Lyon were not ideal, and the fare without checked baggage was still around €1,100.

Out of curiosity, we looked at departures from Paris and came across a very attractive offer from Air Europa at €783 round trip, with convenient schedules for those commuting from other french cities. Departure from Paris Orly was on Saturday late afternoon, with a return on Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. Fares including checked baggage were, unsurprisingly, about sixty euros more expensive, but still reasonable.

For me personally, this was particularly appealing as I hold SkyTeam Elite Plus status, of which Air Europa is still a member. This also allowed us all to have the same departure point from a Paris airport and to be on the same international flights.

For domestic flights, we kept things simple by booking exclusively with the national carrier, Aerolíneas Argentinas, which offered fares comparable to low-cost airlines on domestic routes, with the added benefit of better schedules. On certain routes, such as El Calafate–Bariloche or Trelew–Buenos Aires Aeroparque, they were in fact the only airline operating those flights.

This resulted in the following routing:

The flight offerings between the Spanish and Argentine capitals are significant, to say the least, with up to 6 daily flights. Half of these are operated by the local leader, Iberia, using the Airbus A350 with a triple-daily service—which is impressive in its own right.

As for the other airlines:
Aerolíneas Argentinas operates up to 2 daily flights using the Airbus A330-200.
Air Europa acts as the the smallest player on this route, with a single daily flight on the Boeing 787-9.
Furthermore, an increase in frequencies toward EZE (Buenos Aires) seems to be in the pipeline.

Regarding the database, this is a novelty on this line

Leaving EZE in the morning

With the time change scheduled during our flight, the departure follows the new summer schedule—one hour earlier than the day before. This actually has a significant impact on the ground time our 787-9 spends in Buenos Aires, not to mention a hefty hour-and-a-half delay on the inbound flight from Madrid.

We head toward the airport in the morning, leaving downtown Buenos Aires shortly before 9:00 AM. The taxi we booked via Booking.com arrives right on time.

It is the most practical and economical solution we found, with a fare of £22… yes, pounds sterling… I have no idea why Booking charges taxi payments in very British pounds. Just one more conversion in a trip where we’ve already been juggling three currencies (Argentine Pesos, Euros, and Dollars).

Our journey goes smoothly. We are dropped off in front of the airport entrance well ahead of schedule. The driver even has the courtesy to park right in front of the entrance marked Air Europa and helps us unload our suitcases.

Air Europa checks passengers in at the same area as the international flights for Aerolíneas Argentinas. This section of the terminal appears to have been completely renovated recently; it makes a great impression and is exemplarily clean. I really like the digital display banners above the check-in counters.

The departure board shows a good balance between domestic, continental, and transoceanic flights. This is despite the fact that some of the flights to Brazil are actually stopovers, such as the British Airways flight.

As we approach the counters dedicated to the Air Europa flight, there is already a very long queue stretching well beyond the stanchions—a clear sign of a flight that is shaping up to be full. I leave my parents in the general line to join the Sky Priority lane; while I don't hesitate to bring my partner with me when there are just two of us, I’m a bit more hesitant with two companions. On my end, check-in takes about ten minutes, whereas it takes my parents a good 40 minutes to get their boarding passes and drop off their bags.

The boarding pass is issued in a paper version no colors, but it does feature the airline's logo.

Once these formalities are completed, it's not over yet we still have to go through the local passport control (PAF) and security (PIF). These are also located in a very modern area upstairs. It's worth noting that status doesn't grant access to the priority lane for security; fortunately, most of the time spent at these checkpoints was simply due to the endless maze of stanchions we had to walk through.

Upon exiting the passport control and security duo, you find the usual duty-free shop. Forget Argentine pesos here, the US dollar is king for buying the exact same products you find everywhere else in the world… like these bottles of Spritz, a long way from their native Italy.

With all these steps, a short hour has already flown by since our arrival at Ezeiza Airport.

The international zone of the terminal is also truly modern and pleasant, without being overly massive. The waiting areas are well-suited, everything is clearly signed, and loaner strollers are even available for parents.

On the retail side, you'll find the usual food outlets, including the typical American fast-food chains. But all is not lost, thanks to the presence of this well-stocked bookstore right in the middle of the duty-free shops.

On the way, we cross paths with quite a few visitors from distant lands, such as this magnificent ITA Airbus A350-900, which unfortunately doesn't sport the superb metallic blue livery of the new Italian major. It will return to Rome an hour after our departure.

We continue with the heavy hitters: the only four-engine aircraft visible at this hour, a Lufthansa Boeing 747-8i, which will be taking off for Frankfurt.

More transatlantic flights with this Airbus A330-200 from the IAG group's low-cost carrier, Level, which will operate the only direct flight to Barcelona.

Another aircraft also heading for Madrid is this Iberia A350-900, the market leader on this route.

After this spotting session, I head towards the lounge, inviting my dad to join me for the first lounge visit of our return journey. Everything is quite well signposted.

Lounge

Heading to the Aerolíneas Argentinas "Sala Condor," which serves as the SkyTeam lounge. The entrance is rather understated for the flagship lounge of the Argentine airline.

The lounge is a fairly good size with several distinct seating areas, but above all, it's very quiet at this hour since the Air Europa (UX) flight is the only SkyTeam service departing. Notable features include a dedicated children's area as well as a nap room.

Well, on the downside, the power outlets are the Argentine model only; it's a shame not to have USB ports or multi-format sockets.

On the catering side, two buffets are available facing each other—one for liquids and the other for solids. On the liquid side, everything is self-service, which is rarely the case in North American lounges… however, it’s a bit early for alcohol and testing the Argentine wines housed in this beautiful dispensing machine. As for the food, there is a fair amount of choice, but no hot options, and the quality is mediocre.

While the crockery is reusable, the cutlery, unfortunately, is not.

The lounge features large floor-to-ceiling windows. Unfortunately, they look out over the groundside area.

There is also a television room with a large screen broadcasting (no doubt about it, we're in Argentina) live Spanish Liga matches.

After enjoying the lounge for a good half hour with my dad (who was clearly out of his element ^^), we rejoin my mom, who is busy reading her book near the gate. Boarding begins a few minutes later than the scheduled time at Gate 11, with priorities being well-respected.

Our aircraft today is already at the gate: EC-NGM, a Boeing 787-9 delivered just five years ago to the Spanish airline. Interestingly, a few weeks later, it would head off to Etihad for a few months of wet-lease service.

Boarding is via a glass-walled jet bridge connected to door 2L of our aircraft.

A view of the nose of our 787 for today home for the next 12+ hours seen through the glass jet bridge.

On board UX Boeing 787-9

We were greeted by the purser, who spoke perfect French without the slightest hint of an accent upon seeing my passport. It was a right turn toward economy class where, unsurprisingly, we found the 3-3-3 configuration typical of the Boeing 787. As for the cabin and seating, it features the Recaro CL3710 seat; it’s quite well-made, with an adjustable headrest and a decent recline, all decked out in the airline's signature blue tones.

The cabin layout of our 787 for today, provided by the excellent site AeroLopa; as you can see, the configuration is quite dense for a B787-9, with a total capacity of 339 passengers.

I arrive at my row and my seat, which will be supporting me for the next 12 hours, located almost at the very back of the "hold" (the rear of the cabin). These were the only seats that UX allowed me to select for free, given my "rock-bottom" fare and my status.

The view once seated for the next ten hours or so, as you can see, the legroom isn't very generous for an aircraft intended for long-haul flights. And I am only 1.75 meters (5'9") tall.

A blanket with a small pillow inside is available on the seat, and for once, without any plastic over-packaging.

Meanwhile, boarding continues; the flight will be nearly full this Saturday. Since I’m traveling alone on my own reservation, I’ll be separated from my parents. Joining me in my row of three are an elderly lady in the middle seat and a young woman on the aisle… phew… no beefy Argentine rugby players.

The view through the perfectly aligned window is excellent; next to us is the ITA Airbus A350-900, looking a bit pale, which I had spotted earlier from the terminal.

The safety instructions are being broadcast on the IFEs in Spanish and English.

At the same time, we are pushing back from our parking stand a few minutes behind schedule a delay that we will  be able to catch back during the flight.

We pass within 6 o'clock of "Auntie Lufti's" Boeing 747-8, there's no doubt that the Queen’s iconic silhouette will be missed in a few years. Even though LH (Lufthansa) plans to keep these 747-8s running for quite a few more years, the recent departure of two aircraft from the fleet (destined for the U.S. government) nonetheless marks the beginning of the end.

Next to the Queen sits a much more common aircraft belonging to a far more local airline, a GOL Boeing 737-800, bound for Rio de Janeiro (GIG).

Its neighbor is a JetSmart low-cost Airbus A320, which also recently arrived from Rio’s GIG airport, explaining why it's parked among the international departures. It is scheduled to head back out this afternoon for San Carlos de Bariloche.

The last aircraft visible at the gate is this stretched-version Boeing 737max-9 from Copa, which operates a rotation to Panama City, a flight that flirts with the seven-hour mark, almost the maximum range for the 737max.

Our taxi toward Runway 17 will gradually take us away from the terminal.

Parked out on a remote stand is an aircraft I certainly didn't expect to see at these latitudes: a Boeing 737-800 from the Spanish carrier Albastar. It's operating one of its final flights of the winter season on behalf of the Argentine low-cost airline Flybondi, headed for Posadas, the capital of the Misiones province (wedged between Brazil and Paraguay) with a significant delay.

In the distance, there is an impressive lineup of long-haul aircraft. The freshly arrived flights from the U.S. won't head back to their respective destinations until this evening. The same goes for the Aerolineas A330-200s, which generally depart at the end of the day, whether for North American or European destinations.

While Runway 17 is undoubtedly the closest to the terminals, it is also the shortest runway at Ezeiza Airport. Our pilots take the turn very wide to ensure they don't waste a single meter of available runway.

Our pilots push the two Trent 1000 engines of our Boeing to takeoff power as we charge down the 3,100 meters of available runway. Fortunately, even though our 787 is nearly at full capacity, it has no trouble pulling away from the ground. We soon cross over National Route 205, which leads toward Cañuelas.

Before gaining altitude over the neighborhoods of Ezeiza, the town that gave its name to the Argentine capital's main airport. In fact, the name Ministro Pistarini, added in honor of its founder, is rarely ever used.

We then take a northwest heading, banking over the new neighborhoods and housing developments near the town of Guernica, located at the far southern edge of the Buenos Aires metropolitan area.

We then skirt the Argentine capital to the south, with its urban sprawl and buildings stretching as far as the eye can see.

Before turning onto a more northerly heading as we arrive over the Río de la Plata estuary, which already marks our departure from Argentine territory.

Indeed, on the other side of the brown waters of the Río de la Plata lies the territory of humble Uruguay, which, from the air, appears far more rural than the province of Buenos Aires we have just left behind.

We will cross the territory of this small state from south to north, it looks green and peaceful, but above all, very flat.

I’m taking advantage of this relatively flat landscape to give you some details on the IFE. It’s the Panasonic eX3 model, a fairly common system on modern long-haul aircraft.

As for the content, while it’s a far cry from the massive catalogs offered by carriers like EK (Emirates) or TK (Turkish Airlines), I’ll still find enough to keep me busy for both the outbound and return flights. The movie selection is somewhat limited, featuring a mix of new releases and classics. However, the TV shows, for once, there are actually complete seasons available.

The only minor drawback is that before every movie or episode, you have to sit through this advertisement for the SIM provider Holafly.

The moving map is provided by FlightPath3D, again, a very common model, but it's quite sleek and accurate. Not to mention, our 787’s silhouette is perfectly rendered in 3D.

The first part of the flight, until mealtime, will be in daylight, with most passengers taking advantage of the IFE or enjoying the view through the window.

We are passing a few kilometers off the Brazilian coast, right level with Florianópolis.

It’s right about then that the trolley makes its appearance. By the time it reaches our row, there’s no choice left, so, it’s the chicken. It’s as classic as it gets and very "industrial," accompanied by a few vegetables.

Flavor-wise, it’s not bad, but not exactly good either; just enough to keep the passengers alive until arrival. The same goes for the caramel mousse cake, which turned out to be less sweet than expected.

Our route runs parallel to the Brazilian coastline before we head back over land for an extensive crossing of Brazilian territory. This begins right at the massive metropolis of São Paulo, more precisely, we are directly above the city of Praia Grande.

Several times during the flight, the flight attendants will come through the cabin with trays of water cups.

It will be difficult to pick out any landmarks in Brazil, as the cloud cover there is often quite thick. This is frequently the case in tropical regions.

The dimmable windows were set to "night mode" by the crew, but they didn't lock them, leaving passengers the freedom to keep them "open." Personally, I’ll only do so from time to time to avoid disturbing those trying to rest. The system actually takes nearly a minute to complete the darkening transition.

We are heading back into the Northern Hemisphere on a northeasterly course. Unsurprisingly, with this dual combination, the sun is rapidly dipping toward the horizon, offering us a few shimmering glimmers through the cloud columns that tower high in this region. Fortunately, we won't be shaken up too much as we pass through the famous "Intertropical Convergence Zone" (ITCZ), better known as the "Doldrums" (or Pot-au-noir).

The cabin is gradually switching into night mode, though for those of us still tuned to Argentine time, it’s a bit early to sleep.

The route followed by our flight, the bulk of which took place at night over the Atlantic, maintained a cruising altitude of 37,000 ft.

The final glimmers of daylight illuminate the horizon.

While the mood lighting of our 787 attempts to replicate those very same colors, shifting from orange to indigo.

As for the contents of the seatback pocket, I confess I forgot to take a photo of the inflight magazine, even though it contains some great AvGeek and travel-geek pages. However, I didn’t forget the mandatory safety card.

We finally find something to see as we fly over the southern coast of the Iberian Peninsula, right at the border between Portugal and Spain.

It’s at this point that the "breakfast" service makes its appearance. The few passengers who pre-ordered a full breakfast during booking receive their small trays first. For the rest of us, we have to settle for a muffin and a hot drink, which is still far better than nothing at all.

It won't take long to finish off this snack. The flight attendants are already making a pass to collect the trash and prepare the cabin; our descent has already been announced and is well underway. The city lights of the Iberian Peninsula are becoming increasingly dense and bright as we approach the capital.

On final approach, we fly over the industrial zones located south of the airfield in the town of San Fernando de Henares.

Arrival in Madrid in the middle of the night

It will be a southeast approach into the Spanish capital, followed by a rather firm touchdown on runway 32L, an ideal arrival for optimizing both flight time and taxi time.

On our way to the gate, lurking in the shadows, we can spot a few Airbuses, including some Airbus A300 still flying for the German cargo freight forwarder DHL.

You also spot some rare sights, like this Airbus A330-200 from HiFly Malta. It’s wearing the livery of the Venezuelan carrier Laser Airlines for its rotations to Caracas. Nearby is an Airbus A330-900neo from Iberojet, which performs chartered flights, specifically during this period, operating Iberia flights to Havana.

It’s finally time for me to leave the cabin, and I can’t say I’m sorry to do so after being stuck in the same spot for nearly 12 hours. I make sure to thank the crew as I head toward Door 2L, which is serving as the only exit point. Once again, I’m treated to a smiling "Au revoir" in French from the francophone flight attendant.

A quick look at the fuselage of the 787 that brought us to our destination, seen through the glass-walled jet bridge.

Debarking via a jet bridge is definitely a plus, especially at such an early hour. It’s worth noting that this is far from a guarantee with UX (Air Europa), especially when their 787s are scheduled for Schengen flights to Barcelona, the Canary Islands, or Amsterdam.

One last look, this time from the terminal, at the nose of Golf Mike… well, it’s hard to deny that we’ve seen much more vibrant liveries than UX’s choice of colors.

We’re leaving the sleek, modern architecture of the 787 for a bit of a trip back in time!

We arrive in the transfer area, standing before this XXL FIDS, just before 5:00 AM. No stress here, we have nearly three hours to make our connection to Orly, which is scheduled to depart on time.